Many small businesses in Switzerland still accept only cash, or cards “from CHF 20”. The reason is almost always the same: fees. But cash has costs that never appear on an invoice. Here are seven real benefits of a POS terminal, and how to work out whether it pays off for you.
1. You don’t lose sales to customers without cash
According to the Swiss National Bank survey, the debit card is now the most used means of payment in Swiss shops. A customer who walks in without cash and sees “cash only” often leaves without buying. You won’t see that lost sale in any account, but it’s there.
2. Higher average spend
With a card, people spend more freely: they aren’t limited by what’s in their wallet. A coffee becomes a coffee and a croissant, the CHF 30.- gift becomes the CHF 45.- one.
3. Less time counting, fewer till errors
Float, change, cashing up at night, tracking down shortfalls, the trip to the bank. Every electronic payment is recorded to the cent and lands in your account without you touching it.
4. More security
Less cash in the shop means less risk of theft and less money to carry. You feel it most at closing time in the evening.
5. Faster payments
A contactless payment takes a few seconds. At peak times, at the bar or the kiosk, that means shorter queues and fewer customers giving up.
6. One device, many methods
With the 1pay.ch terminal you accept debit and credit cards, TWINT, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay and even crypto. You don’t have to manage separate contracts for each method.
7. Simpler bookkeeping
Every payment appears in the dashboard with date, time and amount. You export everything to CSV or Excel for your accountant, and at the end of the year you automatically get a statement.
What it really costs
With 1pay.ch the terminal costs CHF 25.- a month, SIM included, with no upfront costs. Debit card fees at the POS start at 1.25% + CHF 0.20 on the Large plan. On the Small plan they are 1.85% + CHF 0.30: on a CHF 40.- sale, about CHF 1.04.
Terminal fees with a debit card
| Plan | Monthly fee | Transaction fee | On a CHF 40.- sale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | None | 2.9% + CHF 0.30 | CHF 1.46 |
| Small | CHF 15.- | 1.85% + CHF 0.30 | CHF 1.04 |
| Medium | CHF 25.- | 1.55% + CHF 0.25 | CHF 0.87 |
| Large | CHF 40.- | 1.25% + CHF 0.20 | CHF 0.70 |
Does it pay off for you? Do this sum
Take a month of sales that you currently take in cash. Estimate how many you lose because the customer has no cash (even just two or three a day). Add the time you spend counting and banking. Then compare that with the monthly fee and transaction fees. In most cases, just a few saved sales a day pay for the terminal.
Which terminal to choose
1pay.ch offers two models: a full one with receipt printer, Wi-Fi, SIM and charging base, suited to the counter; and a compact, light one without a printer, ideal for taking payments on the move. Both work with a built-in SIM, even where there’s no Wi-Fi.
Want to run the numbers with your figures?
Call or message us with your average monthly takings: we’ll tell you which plan and which terminal make sense.
Phone +41 91 857 47 37 · WhatsApp +41 79 857 47 37 · info@1pay.ch
Find the right terminal for you
Sign up for free and choose your terminal from your account. If you’d like advice, our personal support is there for you.
